On the Road Again

I drove to work today! Yay! I never thought I'd be so glad to go to work. This whole experience has made me much more appreciative of what I am (usually) able to do and my life in general. I think I'll be much more sympathetic the next time a colleague is sick. More than three weeks of being stuck and home, unable to even read anything, has really made an impression. Birgit, Chip, and Max have been such troopers through all this BPPV business. When I was really sick and in bed, Chip kept bringing his toys to my bed and asking me to play. He would finally give up and either go to Birgit or lay down next to my bed.

I still get a little wobbly now and then and am still taking motion sickness medication (Gravol) at night, but things are so much better than they were three weeks ago! And Chip is signed up for an obedience class that starts in mid-September, so hopefully we'll be able to get everything back on track by then.

Here's a picture of BPPV from www.earsoftexas.com. The loose particles are the culprits! They send the wrong signals to the brain about your position, and you become sooo dizzy and nauseated as a result. Yuck!

BPPV

Well, our training has certainly hit a speed bump. I've developed BPPV -- Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo. It is an inner ear disorder that results in dizziness and nausea. After experiencing these symptoms for about 10 days, I landed in the ER. Poor Birgit had to take me and stay with me for the 16-hour ordeal. Now, all I can do is sit at home and wait for the symptoms to dissipate. I do have an appointment with a specialist on Monday and am hoping he can help.

Needless to say, this has put quite a kink in our training plans. Birgit has been great about taking Chip for walks and playing ball with him. I'm hoping that we're back to training in a few weeks. In the meantime, here's a new photo of Chip and Max in the backyard.